Journals and essays from the life of a quintessential Englishman
1913-2006

Monday, August 04, 2008

Thursday 29th February 1940

There proved less than 70 pieces to clean; I only polished those which showed when kit was laid out for inspection. However it proved quite enough and occupied all the morning from 6a.m. until 9:30a.m. except for breakfast and washing-time. (Never use my razor now; I’m always shaved by an Indian from Lahore, named Rasul (1/- per week). I had a phobia of naked knives and a phobia of Indians. Now an Indian shaves me every morning with a bloody cut-throat razor!)

We were on parade from 9:30a.m. until 1p.m. for the DRHA. His address to the Regiment was somewhat curious – chiefly about grievances and how we must not complain without weighing things up and how morale was all important etc and etc. Amazingly topical! Had the old bugger discovered our secretly seething state?

Here I am, buggering about, whilst my young brother Richard has joined the Navy, being aged 18 ½. He’ll probably be in action before I am…